1. Technical Field
This invention relates to tool storage containers and, more particularly, to a portable tool storage container for use in a bed of a pickup truck for assisting a user to efficiently store and easily transport tools to and from a work area.
2. Prior Art
The vast majority of home improvement or repair jobs cannot be completed without the proper tools. In fact, it is not uncommon to find a fully stocked toolbox or chest in the garages, sheds, and utility closets of America. Additionally, many pickup truck owners also install heavy-duty, aluminum tool boxes in the bed of their trucks, so that a needed tool is always at the ready regardless of where they are. Truck bed tool boxes are typically built to hold an extensive variety of tools, so even professional tradesmen are more apt to equip a truck with a toolbox, since it allows them to easily transport all necessary supplies to any job site. However, truck bed tool boxes do present drawbacks.
Particularly, these containers are usually made with a wide open interior. As such, there are no separate compartments for different varieties of tools, and all the various sized pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers, wire cutters, drill bits, screw tips create a sea of clutter that can be difficult to manage. In addition, truck bed toolboxes are often permanently built into the body of the vehicle, and as a result, workers find themselves making repeated trips to the truck to retrieve needed tools.
One prior art example shows a storage unit adapted to be slidably coupled to a rear floor portion of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, that may be provided with a mounting structure and a cabinet slidably coupled to the mounting structure. The storage unit may be provided with a plurality of drawers disposed in the cabinet and positioned within the cabinet between a pair of cabinet sidewalls, wherein each of the drawers is movable in a direction parallel to the width of the cabinet. The storage unit may have a cover operatively connected to the cabinet. The cover is movable between an open position in which the drawers may be opened, and a closed position in which the cover prevents the drawers from being opened. A cover latch is associated with the cover that allows the cover to be latched in its closed position. Unfortunately, this prior art example requires attachment to the inside surface of a vehicle bed, thereby marring the surface, and possibly causing further damage from rust. In addition, such installation is difficult and complicated, and may require the services of a professional.
Another prior art example shows a tool box that serves to prevent a truck owner or user from climbing in and out of the truck for tools. Primarily, it consists of a frame having rollers which are received in a pair of channels fastened to the inside of the truck bed. It further includes a pole with a hook for pulling or pushing the box, and the pole also serves to render the box stationary when the truck is in motion. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not include a plurality of wheels attached to the toolbox for allowing a user to easily transport the toolbox along a ground surface when removed from the vehicle bed.
Accordingly, a need remains for a portable tool storage container for use in pickup trucks and the like in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, is lightweight yet durable in design, and assists a user to efficiently store and easily transport tools to and from a work area. Such an apparatus provides consumers with a more effective means of tool organization and management. The apparatus offers storage for items as small as drill bits and as large as wrenches, and can be attached to, and removed from, the bed of a truck in a short time with very little effort. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.